Getting Stuffed! with Mooncattie

Walking in England, The Nickey Line

2011-05-29T16:11:00.015-04:00

April 2011 was an especially fine month to visit England. The big story of the month there was the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, but I was there to visit friends and family as well as to take on a series of rail trail walks. My third and final English walk was the 7-mile Nickey Line (map shown below). I began my walk by taking the train to the Harpenden end of the Line before heading south-west towards the town of Hemel Hempstead.

The Nickey Line follows the route of a railway spur that once ran off what is generally known as the East Coast mainline, shown below, that connects London and Edinburgh. Lots of trains to watch before starting off on my walk!

So it's down the stairs and onto the path, and away we go. Spring had arrived nice and early in England, and by mid-April everything seemed very lush and green. Warmer weather was to follow, but on the day of my walk the temperature was a very comfortable 17C.

The Nickey Line's former life as a proper railway line is evident here as the path follows the cutting below an old stone bridge. I saw lots of fellow walkers and the occasional cyclist along the route.

More railway history here, as we see the leftovers of a station platform.

It wasn't long before I left both the town of Harpenden and its adjacent woods behind, and reached some proper English farmland. This fellow was enjoying the day, and yes, pigs do snore!

Fortunately, our daydreaming hog had a buddy to keep watch just in case a truffle wagon happened along!

The farmland soon gave way to some open countryside views and a hydro right-of-way. It was a very pleasant walk.

Some more animals enjoying the outdoors. These horses seemed to be quite a distance from any barn that I could see.

At about the halfway point of the Line, the pathway plunges under a major motorway, providing a rare bit of man-made noise. Thousands of vehicles speed over this tunnel each day oblivious to the pleasures to be had in exploring this bit of countryside by foot or by bike.

More sleepyheads! They hardly gave me any notice as I wandered by.

Approaching the Hemel Hempstead end of The Nickey Line, the path returned briefly into some woods before ending at the sidewalk of a local road. There was a pub nearby to offer refreshments to happy travelers, but I opted to hop on the bus at the conveniently located stop and head directly onwards to catch a train.

What a great walk! Some lovely Herfordshire scenery bookended by a pair of easy to access railway lines. My English walks were a big success, and if I had known just how wonderful the weather was going to be throughout April, I would have perhaps planned for a couple of additional rambles.

Here's a final look back at The Nickey Line, from the northeast end of the trail at Harpenden.

NEXT: Fish and Chips...and Fish...and Chips!!!

Walking in England, The Centurion Way

2011-05-21T13:42:00.021-04:00

What a wonderful place England is for walking, as long as the weather cooperates. I was lucky this past April to get in three superb walks without getting rained on at all! My second medium-distance walk was The Centurion Way, which follows a disused railway route north from the city of Chichester in West Sussex for a little over 6 miles to the hamlet of West Dean.

First things first: after leaving the Chichester railway station (after a scenic ride south-west from London's Victoria station), you have to follow the signed route towards the north.

Walking and cycling paths in Britain are very well-signed, so it was easy for me to find my way to the start of The Centurion Way.

Here's the map of the route I wanted to follow. No worries about getting lost here.

It's a bit of a low bridge here for trains nowadays, but it really was a railroad many years back!

The Centurion Way was named by a local student to reference the pathway's history as part of a route used by Roman soldiers some two thousand years ago. Now the line is marked with sculptures representing the history of the region - these chaps with spades, for instance.

More artwork! Showing critters of the area, I guess!

It's mid-April, and spring had really sprung in England by this time. The path has turned from asphalt to grass, but the scenery has opened up to reveal some lovely West Sussex farmland.

From grass to gravel and dirt, Centurion Way continues north for several miles before making a sharp west towards a main road. A clue to the path's railway heritage is seen here with the remains of an old bridge over the original train route, now used as a bridle path for riders.

What a wonderful walk this is! It's easy to turn the walk into a stroll, and hang about here and there to admire the scenery, enjoy the stream and listen to the sheep.

The northern portion of The Centurion Way runs parallel to an "A" road.

It's the end of the pathway, but it's well worth continuing north for just a little bit further. Do you see that white building in the distance?

Here we are: my destination. Nothing like a nice pub at the end of a fine English walk, and this one is a gem. It's The Selsey Arms, they feature Real Ale and Real Thai Cuisine, and it just so happens to be five minutes past noon. Yippee!

The pub owner married a cook from Thailand, and the menu offers some wonderful authentic dishes. I love Thai food, and this plate of spicy rice noodles with chicken was a delight after nearly three hours of walking. The Tom Yam soup was excellent as well.

I didn't forget the Real Ale either. This is a pint of Wadworth's 6X, highly recommended by locals in the pub. Yes, it was delicious! I could quite happily have spent the afternoon sipping this and chatting with the friendly folks there about the area.

Here are the Real Ale taps. I could have slummed myself down to Stella or Carlsberg, but hey, I'm on holiday here. Goddard's is a brewery from the Isle of Wight. I tried a half-pint of Scrumdiggity, but the 6X was the winner for me. I would return to a Goddard's product later in my visit, and enjoy their Fuggle-Dee-Dum with cousins during a very nice evening in Lymington. If I recall correctly, the Wadworth 6X originates in nearby Wiltshire, or "just down the road" as a fellow imbiber told me.

I recommend doing some research before you set out on these wonderful walks. Such as, is there a pub I can visit afterwards. And is there a bus I can take after that? Happily, a double-decker stops right at The Selsey Arms every half-hour and makes the trip back towards the Chichester railway station an easy affair. All in all, a really super day out and I hope to come back here again one day!

Last but not least, for those out there with speakers and video access, here's a clip of the sights and sounds of West Sussex from The Centurion Way!

NEXT: Hertfordshire Hogs and Horses!

Walking in England, The Alban Way

2011-05-08T10:21:00.010-04:00

I'm back from a wonderful April visit to England and France, and am still floating in happy memories of walks, pubs, fish and chips, and get-togethers with friends and family.

I thought I'd post a few photos from my overseas adventures, and begin by concentrating on the Rail Trail walks I accomplished in England. I managed three in total, and the first one took place in Hertfordshire, north of London. It's the Alban Way, which I visited from west to east, beginning in St. Alban's and heading six miles or so eastwards to Hatfield.

Here's the map showing the Way...

The Alban Way's western end starts quietly enough, as a sidewalk drifting to the right of a hedge around the corner and down the street from St. Alban's Abbey railway station.

You have to be careful at the railway pedestrian crossing. St. Alban's Abbey station is just up the tracks a bit to the left. This spur line connects to the main line at Watford Junction, where you can transfer to trains for London, Birmingham or elsewhere.

Way in the distance is a view of the Abbey at St. Alban's, with some garden allotments in the foreground.

You can see how this was once a railway line in its own right. Also note how GREEN it is! It seemed to me that the mid-April spring season in England was a good six weeks in advance of Toronto. It was a wonderful day for a walk.

Further evidence of the Alban Way's past life as a railway line appears with the remains of a station platform on the left.

Towards the Hatfield end of the path, the route curves slightly upwards and crosses yet another main line railway. It's an easy ramble down to the train station, where there are frequent trains back to London.

I happened to make a special trip back to St. Alban's later in the week, specifically to visit this highly-rated brewpub called The Farmer's Boy. If you were walking the Alban Way from east to west, this London Rd. pub would offer a tasty reward for your efforts!

The reward? Some outstanding chips and a tasty home-brew called Farmer's Joy.

It was a real pleasure to have added The Alban Way to my list of Rail Trails, and I highly recommend it as an excellent day trip out for anyone visiting London. I felt physically energized and mentally refreshed after my walk, and was looking forward to the next path, wherever it may be!

NEXT: The Centurion Way and another gem of a pub!

Reading Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"

2011-04-09T08:23:00.010-04:00

Dan likes to bring in the villains right off the top. Our Albino Monk for this trip is a guy with an apostrophe in his name, but he's not Irish or anything. He seems more like that "Teal'k" guy from Stargate. And instead of whipping himself, he gets his jollies from shaving himself bare and administering tattooes. So we've really moved on from "The Da Vinci Code", haven't we? Unless Mr. Brown is giving us wry references to Audrey Tautou from the film version. Rawwrr!

Early on in "The Lost Symbol", author Dan Brown gives us a glimpse into the nefarious mind of Entirely Shaven Tattooed And Apostrophe'd McNasty...well, let's just call him "Tat'too" for short. His thoughts are helpfully relayed to us via italics, and they are suprisingly concise for someone who has just attained the 33rd Level of the Ultra-Secret and Powerful Brotherhood of the Supreme Worshipful Master of whatever it is I Haven't Found Out Yet. The secret is how to die...They will never know my true purpose here...My God, they know!...Soon you will lose everything...Now they have opened their doors to me...I am an artifact...Child's play. Oasis is terribly overrated. Oops, that last one was me! And I'm only on page 23! Crumbs, what was he thinking about while attaining the other thirty-two levels?

Arriving at an airport can be a very unpleasant experience. Björk once famously beat up a reporter after arriving at an airport. Maybe she'd had a bad flight. Perhaps she mistook the reporter for a fan. In Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol", Our Hero (well, let's just call him "Tom Hanks" for sort) arrives in Washington DC, only to be immediately accosted by a gushing admirer whose sole purpose is to remind us of Our Hero's, er, Tom's, previous adventure in "The Da Vinci Code", which we may wish to consider picking up the next time we're at an airport. Imagine getting off a plane, only to be faced with some trilling nutbar asking if you're the one that wrote about the sacred feminine and the church. I know what I'd ask Tom Hanks if I saw him at an airport. "Why didn't you try harder to save Wilson?! You Bastard!"

I haven't learned much so far about the Lost Symbol, but I guess I do appreciate Björk a lot more.

I've got a long way to go before finishing Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol". I haven't even got as far as the bit where they've lost it yet. But I have figured out how Dan managed to come up with over 500 pages of material. In a word, Advertising. In two words, Product Placement.

So far, I've come across completely unnecessary references to Otis elevators, Falcon 2000EX corporate jets, Pratt & Whitney engines, Harris Tweed jackets and Lincoln Town Cars, and that's just in Chapter 1, and he needed all that stuff to stretch the vital opening frame to three and a half pages of action.

He leaned back in his Staples Office Supplies ergonomic chair, noticing with satisfaction the Ariel text staring back at him from his 18-inch Acer monitor. Casually glancing at his Timex Flix Technology wristwatch, he allowed himself a moment to cross one leg over the other. A slow smirk spread over his face as he stroked his matching Arnold Palmer slippers. Child's play. The words came all too easily. He tugged at a cuff of his well-worn LL Bean Relaxed Fit blue jeans, and wondered idly if now was the time to consider changing into his Mark's Work Wearhouse pajama bottoms. They would suspect nothing. His smirk widened into a sinister grin. Maybe the Marithé et François Girbaud black denim French dancing pants would be more appropriate. His lips puckered as he considered the possibilities. In these pants, I will dance. He chuckled out loud. In France. Perchance to some trance. With a girl named Nance.

Oh, who am I kidding. I'm strictly minor league. A real player would have brought in a Lexus by now, along with See's Chocolate Truffles and the Sheraton Maui.

Does anyone ever have sex in Dan Brown books? I was thinking of that after reading the first couple of chapters of his latest (nyuk) Opus "The Lost Symbol". His previous best-seller, "The Da Vinci Code", featured an evil albino monk who liked to give himself frequent whippings. For "The Lost Symbol", he's been replaced as Head Nastioso by someone named Tat'too who gets off on yarning his own flesh.

The previous novel's film adaptation promisingly featured the lovely Audrey Tautou, but she was put off sex forever by showing up unannounced one evening at her Grandad's only to find him actively leading a sort-of religious congregation more devoted to Good Nooky than Good Booky.

Our Hero, played in the films by Tom Hanks, has a routine of plunging into his local swimming pool each morning before 5am for forty laps. This suggests he's got a lot of frustration to work through.

Tom's mentor is a gray-eyed power multi-billionaire who does a side act as Chief Worshipful Supreme Master of the Royal Order of Stuff, which seems to take care of his baser urges. Mister Master has a Sister (also gray-eyed, and I'd like a dollar, please, for every time the word "gray" appears in "The Lost Symbol"). She is "married to her work", so no dating for her. Maybe it's a good thing that none of these people are reproducing, as Mr. Brown makes very clear when the one offspring of a major character is finally revealed.

There is actually only one remotely likeable character in the entire novel, and she ends up face-down in a Squid Tank fairly early on in the action, which really pissed me off. Mr. Brown, don't piss off your readers.

So I ended up skimming through most of the rest of "The Lost Symbol", rolling my eyes at lots of it, and eventually racing to the exciting finish before my library copy's due date came up. Dare I mention that I was plowing through Kim Stanley Robinson's "Galileo's Dream" at the same time, which is somewhat akin to mixing a hazelnut gelato with a McDonald's vanilla cone. A 500-page vanilla cone.

This couple did not appear in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol".

DEFINITELY not in the book.

NEXT: England. France. And I did Dance!

Spring Has Sprung?

2011-03-27T23:37:00.003-04:00

Jeepers, another two months without writing anything! It's a lazy life so far in 2011, but there is a little bit of news here and there to report.

I've hit the 43-pound weight loss mark now (this all dates back to September 2010), and I'm continuing to take in the weekly Weight Watchers meetings. More pants are getting the heave-ho, and I finally decided to trek out to buy some better-fitting duds this very afternoon. Tilley's have a suburban Toronto outlet, and they were kind enough to help separate me from about $500 in exchange for a nice spring jacket, some lightweight jeans, and a new belt. I'm all set for my springtime walks (chief among which are the England and France hikes mentioned in my last entry). Now all I need is some springtime weather.

It's been a colder than normal late March in my area. There is still a bit of snow on the ground, and it's not going anywhere as long as the temperature persists in staying below the freezing mark. No matter, it's April as of this Friday and I've made it through another winter!

I have another holiday to think about and look forward to. I'm off to my favourite Switzerland destination, the village of Mürren, at the end of June. Four nights there, then a jaunt north to Berlin for two weeks, with a couple of new destinations thrown in. It will be great to meet up with old friends again, and yes there will be German beer.

MY BENCH AWAITS

NEXT: Mooncattie Reads A Book!!

Happy Well Into The New Year

2011-01-29T22:24:00.002-05:00

Crumbs, two months have shot by since my last missive. I have been meaning to scribble down something, but I guess I've been too tired, too out of time, and basically too lacking in anything interesting (not that that's stopped me before, as you'll know if you've read any of my past rubbish). OK, Happy New Year everyone, and with Groundhog Day almost upon us, let me poke my head towards springtime and see what I hope to be doing.

1. Continue to lose weight. I've hit the 36 lb. mark since joining Weight Watchers last September, and although I'm really scraping to lose a pound here and there over the past few weeks, I'm determined to keep on going. I want to hit the 40 lb loss mark by the beginning of March. Can I do it? I'll keep you posted!

2. Travel. I decided to celebrate my 25 lbs loss Weight Watchers Official Ribbon with a holiday featuring the Theme of Continuing Improved Health. I set my sights on Europe, specifically England and France, and began checking out airfares. It's pricey to travel at the best of times, but springtime travel was looking to be almost unaffordable. Suddenly, KLM appeared with a wonderful cheap airfare! Roughly $1,000 to fly to Amsterdam...but if I changed planes at Schiphol Airport and flew back to Birmingham, England, the price inexplicably dropped by over $300. Yippee! So I fly to Brum in early April, and can't wait to meet up with the wonderful Collins Family, featuring West Brom Albion guru Andy, fellow Weight Watcher Sandra, and their two lovely children Ben and Rachel. There WILL be fish & chips, but there will also be a great deal of walking about.

3. Walking About. I won't be spending six weeks wearing a ski boot thing for a fractured foot this year, and hope to assist my weight-loss attempts with some walking opportunities. England will present me with several rail trails worth trying out. The Nicky Line from Hemel Hempstead to Harpenden is about 7 miles in length. Nearby is the St. Albans Way, from St. Albans to Hatfield - about 8 miles in total. Weather permitting, I'll have a go at the Centurion Way from Lavant to Chichester, and my biggie will be none other than The Cuckoo Line which will see me tramping from Heathfield to Polegate in the south of the country. I really hope the weather is nice for all this. I have a couple of shorter rail trail walks planned for Paris as well. Yes, I'll post photos!

4. Paris FRANCE, that is. I've got my French Rail Pass, and have booked 4 nights for April in Paris. I plan on travelling a bit in the country by TGV (le Train Grande Vitesse, I think the spelling is), combined with trying out some Metro systems for the first time. Lille, Rennes, and Toulouse all have driverless mini-Metros which should be fascinating to explore. It sounds exactly like what Toronto should be building for its Transit City project, but don't get me started on THAT. I'm returning to Lyon as well for a day trip, and of course hope to actually explore a bit of the Paris Metro and see a bit of the city as well. To be honest, Paris isn't my favourite city - but I'm looking forward to giving it another try.

That takes me through the first quarter of 2011. Things to look forward to, and things to plan. I hope your New Year is off to a good start, and that there are fun things in store for each of you, somehow, somewhere, sometime.

NEXT: So What About July?

Subways of the World!

2010-11-28T15:56:00.009-05:00

I enjoy watching trains, and love riding in them. I have a special fondness for Metro systems or subways, and I suppose this dates back to my childhood when a ride on the Toronto subway was a special treat. Legend has it that a three-year old Mooncattie was intercepted at Toronto's Davisville subway station, having wandered off from home with notions of heading downtown! Well, many years passed before I got a chance to visit another city's subway (1975 - London). Now I make a point of taking a journey on the Metro of whatever city I visit.

2010 was a banner year for Me and Metros! This year I managed to board trains in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Berlin, Munich, Nürnberg, Hamburg, and Warsaw. Below are a few highlights from past travels.

Here's a station in Nürnberg, Germany. The newest line features automatic "driverless" trains, which means you get to sit up front if you like and enjoy the driver's point of view.

Below is a scene from a much older system (with much older stations!), in Chicago. The Windy City is famous for its downtown elevated Loop trains, but this particular line reaches out into the western suburbs.

Another long-established American subway can be found in Philadelphia. This is the Market Street line, which features a nice outdoor stretch to the west of the downtown. Stations here are, well, pretty old looking!

Many of Europe's major cities are very well-served by Metro systems. Vienna is an excellent example, and here a U-Bahn enters the outdoor Stadtpark station.

Berlin has a huge railway system, integrating the regional S-Bahn lines with underground U-Bahns. Below is the recently-opened U55 line stop at Brandenburger Tor. It currently shuttles back and forth between this station under the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin's main railway station. One day, it'll be extended eastwards to Alexanderplatz.

I enjoyed riding the subway in Warsaw, Poland. Here is an entrance at Centrum station, with the gigantic Palace of Culture and Science looming above.

Having finally been bitten by the camcorder bug, I've joined the hordes of nerdy folk who post YouTube clips of whatever they are interested in. For me, that meant videos of subways and Metros, and you can see my work posted under the name of "murrener". Or just click on www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvDRwFMUesM if you're REALLY bored and go from there! I'm looking forward to 2011, when I hope to add more Metros to my collection.

UPDATE:

Yes, it's true! I've now lost 25 pounds, and I've got the Weight Watchers ribbon to prove it! I've hit the 27 lb. mark as of November 22nd, and hope to whittle away another few pounds if possible by Christmas. I've got more energy, and I'm fitting into clothes that I haven't worn in many years (in some cases, NEVER!). I'll keep you posted!

NEXT: Going away in 2011!

Weight To Go!

2010-11-07T15:22:00.003-05:00

I've been overweight for about thirty years now. Adding on a few pounds each year, every year, led me to where I am today. Early on I began to love food, then I discovered the joys of beer, and with a job and some cash and time off I had the means in time to indulge and enjoy.

I have now reached my Fifties, I've endured a decade of living with Type 2 diabetes, and as the many posts on my blog have illustrated, I've tended to ignore my health and enjoy eating and drinking (and traveling to eat and drink). By the summer of 2010, I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life. Moving around was exhausting, it was all I could do to stay awake during the workday and make it home to fall asleep. And although being heavy bothered me, I didn't really care or like myself enough to do anything about it.

Take a look at the photo below. There I am at my favourite German beergarden, happy as can be, and look at that stomach!

Here's a self-portrait from this past July. I'm on board a train bound for Warsaw, and when I saw how this picture turned out I took another with my arms folded across my stomach. Of course I'm not fooling anyone - see the Mooncattie-sized bag of chips?

My family has faced a number of health challenges in 2010. Both my parents have had extended periods of ill health. I fractured a bone in my foot in the springtime. No wonder - imagine the stress it would be under every time I took a step! Seeing my holiday photos from this past summer, and thinking about my probable life span, I realized that it was time to do the hardest thing of all, to make a change in my lifestyle and try to be healthier. Perhaps better health would lead to a different kind of happiness, not dependent upon the consumption of calories. I knew dieting would be difficult, and I have such a long way to go to attain my proper body weight - but why not give it a try? Maybe I'll actually like myself a little more in the process!

So I joined my local chapter of Weight Watchers in early September - about two months ago. I resolved to attend the meetings, to do the tracking of food intake, to be honest about the weigh-ins whether I have a week of success or a relapse into past habits.

The folks at the meetings are very supportive, and all seem to be cheering each other on. The parts of the organization that I don't really support (such as the WW products like Power Bars and Smoothies and various recipe publications) are easily ignored while I concentrate on the daily tracking of what I eat.

The change of diet has been dramatic for me. It means pushing away snack food, fast food, beer and milkshakes. It means deliberately keeping track of physical activities and planning walks when I normally wouldn't bother. I'm a devotee of 1/% milk nowadays, and I try to make a point of doing the 40-minute walk to get it instead of the 5 minutes there and 5 minutes back by car. It means eating more fruits and vegetables and cereal. Lunchtime is now generally my main meal of the day, and during the weekdays that means soup of some description. I found a "soup-erb" spot ten minutes' walk south of my office, and most work days now I bring back a tub of tomato, or hot & sour, or mulligatawny, or jambalaya to my desk.

Weekends means forcing myself to walk in the neighbourhood somewhere, and avoiding the activities that led me to high-calorie experiences. I've stopped going to movies, for instance, because I know I don't want to see a film without popcorn. I've actually saved a bit of money that way, so the Weight Watchers program isn't necessarily costing me that much extra!

Well, so far so good. Here's a photo of me taken this afternoon.

Yes, that stomach is still there! So is the chin! But I'm wearing jeans that are two full sizes below what I wore in the summer, and I need the belt tightened an extra two notches to keep it from falling down to my ankles! I'm fitting into that shirt for the first time in years - maybe a decade. I'm down 18 lbs since joining, and I plan on continuing to work at this. I'm determined to be down a total of 25 lbs by Christmas. It won't be easy - cold weather is coming, and I'm definitely NOT a winter person where exercise is concerned. The festive stuff is going to be a big challenge as well. Well, bring it on! I got through Halloween without succumbing to the temptations of candy, and the support of family, friends, and work colleagues have convinced me to keep it going.

I'm looking forward to 2011 already, and thinking about travels that will allow me to keep moving forward in every way possible. Oh there will be treats, but they will be accounted for and be special occasions to enjoy instead of daily cravings to be accommodated. I'll keep in touch re: my progress or lack thereof!

NEXT: Subways of the World!

All Aboard for The Station Inn

2010-10-24T15:39:00.011-04:00

I really like trains. I like riding in them, and I enjoy looking at them. So when I learned of a bed & breakfast in the United States that specifically caters to railfans, I had to find out more! The Station Inn is located in Cresson, Pennsylvania, and for over a decade now innkeeper Tom Davis has been offering folks a spot to sit and watch lots and lots of trains go by.

His Inn sits across the street from one of the main freight routes over the summit of the Applalachian mountain range, taking goods from the American east coast to the mid-west, and beyond, and back.

I paid my first visit to The Station Inn in May 2010, staying for two nights on my way to Mid-Atlanticon in Washington, DC. What a treat! Cresson is a very pleasant small town just west of Altoona, and the area is chock-full of railway history and spots to enjoy train-watching. One of the best spots is from a rocking chair on the Inn's front porch!

Yes, I was really there!

AND I've got a dirty mind. So what? And my prostate is just fine, thanks.

I returned for another two-night stay this past August, with the expectation that after covering all the train-spotting sights in the area I would have gotten the whole business out of my system. How wrong I was - it was such a relaxing spot and everything about The Station Inn experience was so enjoyable that I was already planning an autumn return. The photo below, taken from the nearby Highway 53 bridge, shows the main line in all its October glory with the fall colours at their very best.

It really hasn't been the best of years for me health-wise, so I was very glad to return to the area and actually do a bit of proper walking around on some of the many rail-trails in the region. I highly recommend a visit to the Staple Bend Tunnel, the first railway tunnel ever built in the USA. The line has long since been relocated, but the walk to the tunnel is spectacular and well-signed with a series of interpretive panels that outline the history of railways in the area.

I stayed for three nights in early October, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Can't wait to return in 2011! Must-see train-spotting locations for the visitor (besides the Inn itself) include the Cassandra Crossing pedestrian bridge over the tracks, a nearby level crossing at Carney's Road, the above-mentioned Highway 53 bridge and observation area, and the National Parks Historic sight at Horseshoe Curve. If you want to do some hiking in the area, it's well worth Googling the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and having a look at some of the pathways you can access.

For more train action, have a look at the Station Inn website itself for a preview of the sights to see in Cresson and vicinity as well as information on how to book your own visit. If you're really lucky, you'll be there when they're serving sausage gravy on toast for breakfast! That in itself will make up for any bad weather during your stay!

NEXT: Losing Weight: Can This Be True???

Mid-Atlanticon 2010!

2010-08-30T18:20:00.014-04:00

I suppose I'm not much of a joiner. I'm not one for clubs or conferences or conventions in general, but when I heard about Mid-Atlanticon 2010, that was a different story. I had to be there! It was a meetup somewhere along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America, featuring fans of the Comics Curmudgeon blog site that takes an alternative, often hilarious, and always interesting look at the daily funnies. Yes, those comics we see every day but usually don't give much more than a passing glance at. Who ARE those people behind Beetle Bailey, For Better or For Worse, Mary Worth, and Mark Trail? (the answer to the latter may be disturbing to sensitive readers)

The Comics Curmudgeon was created by Baltimore-based writer and editor Josh Fruhlinger, and he has a fan base of many thousands who can't wait to read what he has to say about whatever daily comic he chooses to comment on each day. Many of us can't wait to weigh in with our own opinions. Well! A Comics Curmudgeon Meetup was something not to miss, so off to Washington DC I went!

My trip got off to an exciting start when I discovered an authentic Montgomery Ward mini-fridge in my Virginia motel room! Montgomery Ward has been out of business for years now, but their fine products remain. It was a wonderful fridge.

Next up was a fun evening with fellow curmudgeons wossname and bourbon babe, unbuckled that included a barbecue, lots of laughter, and Mooncattie's first Scotch!

The following afternoon - a group of happy curmudgeons gathered at Washington's National Zoo for a tour of the Small Mammal House conducted by volunteer guide Perky Bird.

The animal we all came to see! A real live prehensive porcupine!

Oh, and I saw a Panda bear as well.

Finally, it was time for the great event. Our meetup took place inside Washington's Capitol City Brewing Company brewpub. As you can see, it's a pretty impressive looking place from the outside. Yes, it really was that big.

Sadly, I don't have a good photograph of Josh himself. But I do have this photograph of the star of the evening, Mark Trail's plucky young ... er ... ward? Son? Buddy? Well, it's Rusty's Head On A Stick, and we all agreed that was indeed the best place for him. His occasional extreme close-ups in Mark Trail are pretty frightening usually. We're pretty sure he's a science experiment gone horribly wrong, but in Mark Trail that's sort of par for the course.

Well, amid much laughter, fresh beer, and fine food, an excellent time was had by all. I met some wonderful people, and it was great fun to share comics-related chat with folks I had only previously known through the blog. I hope there will be another meetup one day (full disclosure: I had gone to a previous gathering in Tucson, Arizona in 2008!), and I hope to return to Washington DC as well.

NEXT: All Aboard for Cresson, Pennsylvania and The Station Inn!

Warsaw

2010-08-10T21:20:00.011-04:00

Crumbs! Here we are with the Summer of 2010 finish line coming into view, and I haven't been very good at keeping up with entries on this page. I've done loads of traveling and have lots of stuff to chat about, so I'll have a go at putting up a series of short chapters on my comings and goings since early April in no particular order.

Here are some photos from my first-ever trip to Warsaw, Poland. I dropped in for two nights in mid-July of this year during a rather extended European heat wave. Happily, my Novotel room was nicely air-conditioned.

Here's a view of Warsaw's gigantic 1950's era Palace of Culture and Science from my 15th floor window. The guides usually say that one should begin any visit to Warsaw with a trip up to the Observation Deck of this so-called "gift" to the Polish people from Stalin.

Here's the view looking south-east, back towards my hotel and the city beyond! Not especially attractive, I'm afraid.

More evidence that the city in general is rather, well, ugly. This view looks west from the Palace of Culture and Science, with a large shopping mall and office complex in the bottom-left corner. Much of the area to the west was part of the Jewish ghetto set up by the Nazis during World War II.

Much of the border of the Jewish Ghetto has been marked for posterity with inlaid bricks as seen below, similar to the Berlin Wall outlines that one sees nowadays marking the old boundary between East and West Berlin.

There is very little of the original Ghetto wall left. This one section remains in the courtyard of a housing unit, and one sees the ever-present Palace peeking over in the distance.

My favourite part of Warsaw was the Kazienkowski Park, a former royal park now open and free for everyone to explore. I enjoyed the bits of forest, lagoons, sculptures, and pathways. It was a pleasant place to wander around on a hot summer's afternoon. Peacocks make their home here, and are fun to watch.

How can you resist a park that features a bust of Caligula? I guess he would have been an improvement on a lot of the folks who invaded this city.

My other Warsaw highlight was in the newly-rebuilt Old City, which had nothing to do with the buildings. It was a hose laid out as a sprinkler for folks to get some relief from the heat wave. It was wonderful! I'd love to see that sort of thing in other cities, especially my home town. Children would hop in, then run out squealing with delight. This little bit of Warsaw put a smile on every visitor's face.

I visited Krakow about five years ago, and I have to admit that it is a much more beautiful place to visit than Warsaw. It benefits, of course, from not being razed to the ground by Hitler's army. Although the apartment blocks, office blocks, and retail blocks of Warsaw seemed monolithic and charmless to me, there are still some nice places to explore in the city. The Nowy Swiat "royal route" is chock-a-block with high-end cafes, nice restaurants, and a brewpub or two. At the north end, the Old City features a number of rebuilt churches, public squares, and cobblestone laneways. The city appears to have a very good transit system. I enjoyed hopping on and off the trams that seem to form a web from the inner city, and Warsaw's single-line subway system is in the process of being expanded with the Euro 2012 football championships fast approaching. There is a lot of construction going on in Warsaw, and I do hope that the architecture of the next generation is more imaginative and attractive than that of the past few decades.

NEXT: Mid-Atlanticon! A Meeting of Curmudgeons!

To Michigan, for Easter!

2010-04-18T22:12:00.020-04:00

Easter weekend, 2010. In the Great Lakes area, it'll go down in the books as a mostly sunny weekend, weather-wise. Spring seems to have made an early appearance in this part of North America, and the always-iffy prospect of traveling over a long weekend in early April ended up being no problem at all!

I made an early start on Good Friday, and was at the Ontario-Michigan border by 9:30am. By 10:15, I was starting my first Rail Trail walk of the season.

This is the Wadhams to Avoca Rail Trail, and it can be found just west of Port Huron, MI. It was a super walk on a day that topped 70 degrees F (perhaps 22 C). I was very happy to manage 7 miles of walking, although the blisters that were born that day are still visible! I'm hoping to do lots of healthy walking this year, and have mapped out a series of interesting trails to try.

This is the Gallup Park Trail in Ann Arbor. It took me two visits over Easter weekend to complete this one (lots of limping by this point!). This trail goes alongside an active Norfolk Southern line for part of its length, although I sadly missed being able to capture any trains for posterity.

A nice drive, a family visit, some pleasant walks, and ....beer! MICHIGAN beer!

Yes, it's something of a Golden Age for the beer industry in Michigan. And I was eager to find out a little about what our next-door neighbours have been up to. A good place to start my research was a visit to the fine folks at Ratebeer, who have some very nice things to say about Michigan beer, what to try, and where to buy it. That led me to a very fine place indeed, Champane's Wine Cellars.

Yes, that's how it's spelled! Champane's is at 7007 Chicago Road in Warren, MI, just a bit north of Detroit. It proved to be my first-stop shop for a grand introduction to the beers of Michigan. I met up with the manager of the "Beer Department", Michael, who was quick to offer some advice as to what to choose. And there is a lot to choose from! After explaining that I was allowed to bring a total of 24 bottles back to Canada, we quickly went to work. I spotted a newly-arrived Hofbrau Maibock (yes, we get to drink the stuff even before the Muncheners do!), so a 6-pack of that was a MUST. That left eighteen bottles of beer for my wall.

Michael noted that as I was spending a few nights in the state, I really ought to pick up a couple of extras for consumption while in America. He brought out two singles from the fridge with the warning NOT to leave them on a shelf for any length of time. Keep them cool! I did just that, and here are the two in question.
Both are from Bell's, out of Comstock, Michigan, and I should note that most of the beers that Michael recommended came from either Bell's or Founders (from Grand Rapids).

This is Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock, a very dark red beer, smooth and exceptionally easy to drink. It's up there in alcohol content at 8%, but it didn't taste overly strong or bitter. Absolutely delicious!

The "Keep It Cool" Beer #2 was Bell's Lager of the Lakes (referring to the Great Lakes, of course!), a very light-coloured lager of 5% strength. This is one of those perfect backyard BBQ beers. Very pleasant...but I think that Consecrator with those dudes with the horns is our winner!

Well, it's time for a break from all this local brew sampling, so why not head off to Bay City for a Saturday evening? The place seemed mostly closed for the Easter weekend, but here's a find (thank you again, Ratebeer!) It's the Stein Haus at 1108 N. Water Street, and wow-we-wow! Look at all those steins hanging up there! And what's this? Hofbrau helles AND dunkel...ON TAP? Yum!

A friendly chat with patron Beth was a highlight of my visit, and she was quick to suggest I try another Bell's offering, Oberon. "It's like a Michigan summer afternoon", she smiled, and the label on the back of the bottle backed her up! It was also one of the beers that Michael at Champane Cellars chose for me (17 left to go!), and here's what an Oberon looks like. It's a 5.8% wheat ale, a very refreshing cloudy beer with perhaps a hint of orange, or is it just that nice bright label with the sunshine? Whether in a Bay City bar on a Saturday night, or back home on an April Friday night, it was very enjoyable. Even if (at the bar) they serve it with a slice of orange. Is that a sneeze I feel coming on? Ahhh....ahhhh. CORONA!

NEXT: "My Other Beer Is A Stout"!

Peterborough For Beer

2010-04-11T18:39:00.030-04:00

Peterborough, Ontario. It's a Junior A Hockey powerhouse, a passionate supporter of its Lacrosse team, and the gateway to the Kawartha Lakes cottage region. I was surprised recently to learn that it's also becoming something of a beer hotspot, both for home-grown craft brewing and for imports. I had a chance to pay a couple of visits to Peterborough (approximately 130 kms. north-east of Toronto) in the past month, and I'm glad I went!

My first stop was 300 Charlotte St., the home of the Publican House Brewery. Not so flashy on the outside, but inside they were sampling and selling three tasty products. A stout and a "west coast style India Pale Ale" were available only in 64 oz. Growlers, or big glass jugs for the uninitiated.

I went home with several cans of a very pleasant House Ale, which I found to be quite robust for a 4.8% light beer. It would find a place of honour on my cottage deck this summer, and now all I need is the cottage and the deck! There's a patio next door to the actual brewery on Charlotte St, so perhaps that'll do once the weather warms up a bit.

Now it was time for the main event, a visit to the St. Veronus Cafe and Tap Bar at 129 Hunter St. West. What a nice building. What a great restaurant! WHAT A SUPER BAR!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but four out of the five draught taps are for Belgian beers, and the fifth is for Stiegl from Austria. This would be big news in Toronto, or any other Canadian city, but is really quite spectacular for Peterborough. The fridge in the background protects at least a dozen Belgian offerings that would be very unusual to find pretty much anywhere in this country.

I met up with my friends Rick and Cathy, and it's thanks to them that I even found out about this wonderful place! (By the way, you Yarning Fans out there may enjoy visiting Cathy's Project Fleece blog.) The food menu is as true to Belgium as the beer list - mussels, frites and stoemp all make an appearance. I opted for a Carbonnades Flamandes, a sandwich featuring a ribeye steak stewed in Leffe Brune beer, in a sourdough bread. One of the finest sandwiches I have ever tasted.

However, for us it was all about the beer, and here's a look at our round. Wow!

A nice Bavarian Weihenstephaner for Rick, a lovely Leffe Brune for me, and a cherry flavoured Mort Subite for Cathy. All served in their appropriate glasses. A Leffe Brune, on tap, in Peterborough! Yum. On that particular day, St. Veronus was offering, as their speciality draught, a Russian Imperial Stout from southwestern Ontario's Wellington brewery. Our server assured me that he was able to sample quite a lot of it!

I was able to sample one more Belgian beer that day, and I liked it so much that I came back two weeks later to try it again! It's a 9% from the Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs, another Brune that seemed a tad more bitter than the Leffe version. Hey, I'm not supposed to even like dark beer much, so what's the deal here?

Here's my other treat from Visit #2, an 8% Gouden Carolus Ambrio. I've never even heard of this, yet there it sits in a fridge in Peterborough. Yum! I found it perhaps a bit more sour to the taste than the l'Abbaye, but it sure grows on you with each mouthful.

I'm told that St. Veronus regularly rotates their selection of Belgian brews; indeed, their "recently acquired" beer menu insert was quite different two weeks after Visit #1. This is all very impressive!

There is yet another Peterborough beer spot to try out, and it'll mean another visit from me, hopefully in the near future. It's the Olde Stone Brewery, just around the corner from St. Veronus, and it will be interesting to try their products and compare them to the Publican. Roll on, summer weather weekends!

NEXT: Meanderings in Michigan!

Getting Down, Downtown

2010-03-28T17:50:00.003-04:00

Jeepers! It's been over two months since I've bothered to write anything. As usual, life got in the way. Working, sleeping, and commuting between the two. I meant to write some nonsense way back in January about a new brewpub I visited in Toronto. Most of my memories from the evening at Duggan's Brewery have vanished into the mists, but I'll quickly jot down what I do recall from my visit.

For starters, you may find yourself in Toronto one day and ask yourself "Where can I go to enjoy some really good beer here?"

If I was in an especially snarky frame of mind, I'd offer these wise words:
1. Rent a car
2. Leave town

Oh, I guess it's not all so bad in Toronto The Good. The sidewalks are no longer rolled up at night, you can actually drink on a Sunday, and you needn't flee to Buffalo to have a good time. Although if you do, you no doubt will!

There are a few places here and there in T.O. that are keeping jive alive, and I'll try out a few of them in 2010 to see how they rate. First up is a visit to Duggan's Brewery at 75 Victoria Street.

Duggan's is the child of Toronto brewmaster Mike Duggan who previously worked out of the Mill Street Brewery. He connected with the old Victoria Street location of Denison's Brewery and in December 2009 opened up Duggan's, a proper little bistro with nice food and a nice selection of suds. I wandered in for an evening in mid-January to check the place out.

On the upside, it's a very pretty room. The staff are very nice. There is food, and there is beer, and overall there's a rather upscale, pleasant vibe to the premises.

Is there a downside? Well, not as such, but aren't I the picky one when I feel like it? Duggan's selections are numbered without much of an explanation that I could track down. The #5 is an Asian lager featuring Japanese brewing rice and is described as having a "straw" flavour. Well, it tasted extra-grassy to me, and it just didn't sit too well. It's one of the few beers that I have ever gulped down in order to get to the next one. I have heard very positive comments about it from a trusted colleague, so we'll put this one down to my less than developed beer tastebuds.

I then tried the #13 Weisbeer (sic). Yes, that's how they spelled it. By now, you must be thinking that they've got at least thirteen beers to try. Well, no, they don't. Lots of numbers are missing from the menu, and several that were on the menu were missing in action. One had a problem "with the tap", another had a pressure problem, but the problem was apparently solved within the hour as it was available...within the hour! I suppose another problem was li'l ol' ME. I wasn't wearing a suit, you see. But the table of gents that took up a table next to me were, and although they ordered their Weisbeers well after me, they sure got them served way before me! No matter, it eventually showed up in a nice Weisbier-style glass, looked properly cloudy, and didn't taste too bad at all. I'd trade it in a heartbeat for a can of Denison's Hefe, but it was fine enough.

Friends soon arrived to scope out the rest of the available menu. I should mention that when I arrived, a bit before the Corporations That Employ Suits let out, the staff were bringing in brand new Duggans glasses, complete with the brewpub's logo etched into the glass. Very nice. If you don't mind your large glass holding 0.4 l of beer! There seems to be some sort of problem with folks wanting to shortchange you a mouthful of beer. This kind of thing gets the folks in Prague real mad - they know when they're getting a smaller glass than they bargained for, and they'll support the establishments that offer the full 0.5 l as a result. If you're that proud of the beer that you make for heaven's sake, give us that little extra, please!

Don't get me started on the smaller sizes! Well, OK, get me started. My aforementioned friends decided to give the #Whatever (I've lost my notes!), the Belgian Trappist style with the extra-high alcohol content, a go...well, it's served up in Juice Glasses! Little Juice Glasses! I totally understand, of course. You know what Canadians are like once you've poured 40% of a litre of Belgian-strength brew down their gullets. Oops, I stand corrected. None of us know. Little Juice Glasses. The prices weren't little, however. Meh.

The big calling card at Duggan's is the #9 IPA, a 6.2 % pale ale that is very hoppy, pleasant to drink, and my favourite of the pack. It's the only one I returned to, and the Duggan's that I'd drink again if I found myself back there.

The snacks were pricier than average as well, but very nice. Ribs and poutine showed up with curry as a base for their sauce. They're big on curry here, and it's quite tasty. My order of wings was billed as coming with a stilton flavoured dipping sauce. It didn't, but subsequent orders from my colleagues did, and I gather it was all quite acceptable.

Overall, my impressions of Duggan's are that they are in their own way, quintessentially Toronto. Quite diverse, pleasant and polite, clean, kind of over-priced for what you're getting, and missing something that is hard to put one's finger on, that something that makes you want to come back as soon as you can. I hear this a lot about Toronto. Folks love to come here....ONCE. Perhaps I'll pop back in to Duggan's one day. If you ever do, I'd enjoy hearing what you think.

NEXT: The Peterborough Project!

Happy New Year At Long Last

2010-01-24T19:34:00.002-05:00

I just haven't had much incentive to sit down and write anything. I'm not a Winter Person, I guess - I feel like just hibernating and waiting out the cold weather. At any rate, my best wishes to those of you who read this (and to those of you who I'd like to!) for a very happy 2010. Where's my flying car? What a rip-off century.

It's been a special sort of month already in my life. Apart from the start of a brand new decade (even if it technically isn't, I prefer to start it off with a Zero), I've already observed my birthday (the Big 5-2!), the 28th anniversary at my place of employment, an 18th birthday for a niece, and next week, a 10th birthday for another niece. Later this year, a nephew turns 21 - so there are all sorts of momentous numbers flying around. And get this for a January - it's raining outside!

My neck of the woods went through the entire month of November without seeing a single snowflake - unprecedented in our weather records - but December brought us a series of small centimeter or so deliveries of the white stuff, so that we indeed had something of a White Christmas this year. There is still some snow out there, thanks to the below-freezing temperatures we've had through most of January, but this weekend we've shot up to 36 F and yes, it's pouring outside. Usually this would be some sort of significant snowfall, but I guess I'll ditch the boots again tomorrow and head back to work in shoes. No complaints from me.

I very often have travel plans by this time. Not that I'm particularly antsy to get out of town once New Year's Day is over, but January is the month for Air Canada seat sales that stretch into late spring and the summer, so it's generally around NOW that I figure out what I've got planned for holidays. It hasn't happened this time around. There were some hints of sales around Christmas week and late December, but with every announcement of "great deals" from Canada's national airline, the price tags have been higher. And higher.

Here's an example: I was thinking of a flight to Houston sometime in the spring. This would faciliate my long-standing dream of a Texas BBQ tour, taking in some of the best rib joints in the state (and therefore, of course, the world). In late December, there were fares available on Air Canada for $131. Well, $131 EACH WAY, plus taxes and all kinds of add-on fees. Well, by early January, the fare was suddenly up to $161. And the "great deals" seat sale currently on offer, those wonderful annual January specials? Well, it's now up to $198. Goodbye BBQ!

The present security concerns make flying anywhere seem like an arduous and unpleasant experience, or should I say, even more arduous and unpleasant than usual. So I guess travel is sort of on the back-burner for the moment. I'll keep my eyes peeled for specials, though, and who know? Perhaps something will come along. But when China looks like an affordable destination compared to London or Munich, then something isn't quite right.

I'm holding to last year's New Year's Resolution, which I'm happy to say I kept big-time: To drink more High Quality Beer. A return to Munich last summer, and a first-ever visit to Prague helped me keep that promise, and I was very happy to visit several fine brewpub establishments in the United States as well. I've already made my first visit to a brewpub for 2010, which will be the subject of my next bit of written ramblings. Best Wishes to You All!
NEXT: A New Downtown Toronto Brewpub!

A Perfect Munich Beergarden - At Last!

2009-11-23T21:50:00.007-05:00

For ages now, I've been prattling on about wonderful beers and wonderful places in which to guzzle them. There are so many! And since I can only praise the lovely liquid so much without a Thesaurus nearby, I tried to attach a numerical rating to the various Beer Experiences. But is there such a thing as a Perfect Beer Experience?
Well, yes, I've decided that there is indeed a Perfect Ten out of Ten on my Yuk/Yummy Scale of Beer Goodness. There is a Perfect Beer for me, and a Perfect Beergarden where I can enjoy it, and yes, it is in Munich, Germany. It's the first beergarden I ever visited, the most recent beergarden I've been to, and if there was only one beergarden left for Mooncattie, this would be the one I'd greet the Afterlife with.It's the Augustiner-Keller, just west of Munich's main railway station, or Hauptbahnhof. Weather permitting, it's a joy to sit outdoors among the chestnut trees and the thousands of happy patrons and enjoy one of Munich's most historic (ie. OLD) beers. Whether you go for the Augustiner Helles, the slightly stronger Edelstoff, or their Weissbier, you are guaranteed a magnificent maß (I hope that's the 'double-s' key). If the clouds are rolling in, you can always duck inside the large adjacent beer hall and join your fellow revellers in toasting the night away.

I won't say there isn't a better place to enjoy a beer, but in my (albeit fairly limited) experience, it's the best I've found. Of course, this means I have to keep traveling and trying out new spots while not forgetting to return to my old favourites. Roll on, 2010, and Prost! to you all.

Augustiner Keller
Arnulf Strasse 52
80335 Munich
Ph# (089) 594393
http://www.augustinerkeller.de/

Take the #17 Tram to Hopfenstr. or any of the main S-Bahn trains to Hackerbrücke and walk one block north to Arnulfstr., then turn right one block to Zirkus-Kronestr. Cheers!

NEXT: The Big 5-0!

A Perfect Munich Beergarden, Part 2

2009-11-10T22:39:00.006-05:00

Yikes, I haven't written anything in over a month. Busy at work, and general laziness, I guess. I want to continue my look back at the Summer of 2009 and in particular, a wonderful time spent touring the beergardens of Munich. In an earlier chapter, I recalled a trip to the northern part of the city to visit a Spaten sponsored garden near the River Isar. Today I'm pleased to tell you about another Spaten spot located well to the south of Munich, but easily accessible by S-Bahn and a lovely countryside stroll. It's the historic Kugler Alm Beergarden!
How to get here: from anywhere on the main S-Bahn line of stations in the heart of Munich, grab the S5 in the direction of Furth. That's your destination, and you'll need an upgraded ticket or transit daypass to get there, as it's a bit further beyond the Munich city limits. Once you arrive at Furth, just follow the directions on the various signposts to Kugler Alm. It's less than a 20-minute walk, and a very pleasant one it is.

I arrived just in time for lunch on a Wednesday, and as you can see, there aren't a lot of folks hanging around just yet. I'm sure it's a great spot in the evenings (plenty of parking adjacent) and on weekends (lots of cycling paths leading the way in). That's where the historic nature of Kugler Alm is revealed - this is the home of the Radler, the light-beer mixture of Beer and Lemonade (or anything resembling what we know as 7-Up). Legend has it that the garden's owner, Franz Kugler, came up with the idea in 1922 as a means of keeping the Radlers (cyclists) from getting too tipsy to ride home after a visit. It's now a common low-alcohol alternative in many beergardens and taverns in Germany. Well, I didn't have to worry about driving or cycling, so I went for the mass of Spaten Helles and a plate o' ribs, and was I ever happy afterwards!

This was, for me, very close indeed to the perfect beergarden experience. The BBQ spareribs were the BEST I had tried at any of the Munich gardens, and the beer was fresh, cold, and tasty. The awning above provided shelter from a brief July shower, the loos were clean, and the staff was friendly. What more could I want? Well, not very much actually. I rate the Kugler Alm a hair or two above the previous day's visit to Sankt Emmerams Mühle for the fine location, the superior ribs, and the ever so slightly tastier Spaten. An easy 9.5 on the Yuk/Yummy Scale of Beery Goodness, and maybe, just maybe, touching a wee bit closer to the Perfect Ten. So I'll split hairs and give it a grateful 9.75 and look forward very much to the day I get to return to this wonderful spot. For an easy day trip outside Munich's city center, I cannot think of a better destination to quench one's thirst than this one.

Kugler Alm

Linien Strasse 93

82041 Oberhaching

PH (089) 61390190

Open 10am - 11pm

www.kugleralm.de

NEXT: Yes, there IS a Perfect Ten!

Emergency Creative Writing Chapter, Pt. 2

2009-10-04T14:44:00.005-04:00

It's a scene from another one of America's most beloved long-running soap opera comic strips, which will not be identified or mocked in any way, as this is another loving tribute, so please don't sue me, and instead let's all rejoice that this wonderful example of art is with us every day!

I reckon you remember Ol’ Blue?
And with one quick glance at the strange, spotless truck with the insane headlights that Cody had insisted on installing on his own after watching that movie about the cute little alien that everybody was talking about, all the years came rolling back and it was that impossibly long June evening again when it seemed like the sun was never gonna set. And Lu Ann had been saying how this time she really was gonna go to New York City and make it as an artist, and Cody had just better get used to the idea. And Cody was saying that this was fool talk and that she’d be happy to paint her prairie flowers just as much while being his wife and raising his kids while he worked with his older brother Woody and his Pa at the piggery, and it all seemed so wrong to her to hear all this, even if it was the second biggest piggery in the county. And now Cody is working for Daddy, and what’s up with that? And now the sun was finally setting, and Cody knew that she was gonna be on that plane the next morning, and he started to make those sad, snorty crying noises, and she leaned over and kissed him, and knew that he was gonna take that as a big old green light for sliding her into the back seat, and what kind of truck has a back seat anyhow? And she thought, well here goes, as he rolled her sundress up her legs and kind of stumbled on her, and then, like he forgot or something, turned around and switched on the radio and Ol’ Blue’s heater. And with the truck’s engine wheezing like someone whistling really badly, he put on that 1510AM signal out of Mangy Butte and there was that danged Oak Ridge Boys song that they played every half hour and Cody loved so much, and then he kind of fell on her bare legs and undid his belt and everything seemed to go from there in a weird sort of a way, like he was trying to plop down and up, down and up, in time to that song with the stupid words, and it was so hard not to laugh, but she knew that would just ruin everything for him, so she bit her lip and listened to Giddy Up A-Ooom Poppa, Ooom Poppa, Mow Mow. And his breathing started getting real heavy and raspy like the noise of his truck’s heater, and she was thinking how one of her feet still had a shoe on and the other was bare and tucked into a map pocket, and what kind of a truck has a map pocket in the back seat, and there was that hand clapping sound of his little bits slapping against her butt, and she kept thinking that it was sort of like milking a cow backwards for some reason, but then she wondered if maybe he didn’t know that he wasn’t really inside her, and could it be that even though he’s got pigs all over the place, he’s never seen them doing it, and should she grab his pickle and help it in, or would that make him angry? And then those danged words Ooom Poppa, Mow Mow came on again, and Cody went all funny and yelled along with the song Hi-Ho Silver, Away!, and there was an awful mess, but it was mostly over his truck’s back seat and she was thankful for that, and then he kind of fainted on top of her and started making moany noises about how she can’t leave him and there’s nothing but trouble in New York City. And lying there, with her foot still crammed into that map pocket, and the sky getting dark real fast now, Lu Ann thought about how that plane can’t take off fast enough for her and the first thing she’s gonna do tomorrow after arriving at the New York City Airport, is make a telephone call about that apartment that’s up for rent with the two other gals as roommates. And she thought that’ll be just fine, because they can show her the big city, and she can teach them the Ways of the West. And there won’t be anyone or anything wheezing, and there won’t be any danged Oak Ridge Boys.
Oh yeah, Lu Ann remembered Ol’ Blue.

NEXT: Back to Munich for more ravings about Beergardens!

A Perfect Munich Beergarden, Part 1

2009-09-20T18:20:00.004-04:00

Beer to the north of us, beer to the south of us...if you visit the fine German city of Munich, you'll be surrounded by the stuff and it's all good. A lot of it is great. And some of it is just about Heaven in a Stein. How appropriate that a liter (or litre) glass (or stein) of Bavarian suds is known as a Mass (or Maß as it's spelled in Germany) since it's bordering on a religious experience when the beer is right. And Munich gets it so right!

I was fortunate to visit three particularly wonderful Munich beergardens in July of 2009. In this chapter, we'll head north via the city's super transit system to check out one of them, the Sankt Emmerams Mühle. On a city map, it appears tucked away on a distant shore of the river Isar, way to the north of the Englischer Garten - but it's not really difficult to access. Just take the U-Bahn line #6 north to Studentenstadt station, then transfer onto the #50 bus in the direction of Johanneskirchen. Just two stops will take you onto a highway, then across the river and back south along the far side. Jump off and walk westbound downhill at St Emmerams Strasse, and there you are: a pleasant outdoor garden that seats well over a thousand thirsty visitors. Many are locals who have cycled in from wherever, and a few brave souls will even try to park in the vicinity.

"Mühle" means "Mill", and this was the site of a paper mill for many years. Beer and food have been part of the complex for well over a century, and although the old mill buildings survive to this day, this is now a beergarden only. And what a spot! It's a Spaten garden, featuring the fine beers of this famous member of the Munich Big Six breweries. If you are a wheat beer fan, you can indulge in a Franziskaner Weissbier. I'm there for the Helles, however, and here's the pot at the end of my rainbow - a nice maß of lager!

What a treat! I've had past experiences with Spaten where the beer has been something less than ideal - well, let's just use the word "stale" and be done with it. No worries at St. Emmerams Mühle, where the Spaten was tasty, fresh, cool and delicious. And the appearance of that book at the far right of the photo means it's time for me to once again plug Larry Hawthorne's wonderful The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich, the book that led me to this and several other wonderful Munich beer spots I wouldn't have known about otherwise. If you're thinking of a Munich voyage, please do yourself a huge favour and track down the Guide. I've mentioned it in earlier posts - don't forget, your copy will have coupons for FREE BEER in selected beergardens, AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM! Yes, I enjoyed that lager for half-price!

I've gone on and on about a Yuk/Yummy Scale of Beery Goodness, and although I find it hard to give anyplace a Perfect 10, it's easy to award Sankt Emmerams Mühle a 9, maybe a 9.5 for ambience, friendly staff, and delicious beer. It's a lovely, and easy adventure away from Munich's inner city and I look forward to returning some sunny day.

Emergency Creative Writing Chapter, Pt. 1

2009-09-13T18:56:00.004-04:00

It's a scene from one of America's most beloved long-running soap opera comic strips, which will not be identified or mocked in any way, as this is a loving tribute, so please don't sue me, and instead let's all rejoice that this wonderful example of art is with us every day!O Edinburgh, My Edinburgh
I entered the morning room at St. Andrew’s Bed & Breakfast, and found my usual table by the door empty and waiting. After a quick good morning nod to the other early birds, I sat down and surveyed the offerings. Toast. Cold, burnt pieces of dry toast, filed upright like index cards inside a wired, um, toast-holding device! I instinctively picked out a paper-thin slice from the middle and began shaving off slivers of rock-hard butter. Well, here we are again, ready to tackle Edinburgh once more. Thank heaven for the orange juice and tea. I could have done without the potato-ade, though.

It’s a complicated city to describe. I could tell you that the city has a medieval feel to it, with its Gothic architecture and cobblestone streets, but I’d be insulting your intelligence (never mind resembling a complete nitwit) as that pretty much describes every town in Europe. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that Edinburgh enjoys a somewhat uneasy relationship with its past, and with the mobs of people who come to feed off of it, especially during August when the Festival is on. The cash brought in by the visitors is welcome, but the folks spending the cash are merely tolerated. I’ll be glad when the fookin’ tourists fook aff home, I heard one teenager say the previous evening, as he weaved back and forth along the sidewalk outside a pub. That was my cue to slow down, cross the road, and try to remain invisible. I guess it worked – the kid and his two buddies abruptly stopped and sprayed a gush of piss worthy of the Firth of Forth onto ye olde cobblestones below. At least two of them remembered to zip up afterwards.

Of course, Edinburgh is a beautiful city. The Castle on the Hill is a magnificent sight, especially at night when illuminated by spotlights for the evening Tattoo. The Royal Mile that winds downhill from the Castle to Hollyrood is pretty touristy, but it makes for a great stroll anyway. The Gardens below the Castle, separating the Old and New cities, is a good spot to relax in between bouts of sightseeing. And the area just off the Princes Street shopping district is very pleasant for just wandering around and breathing in the atmosphere. On my street, that meant an atmosphere combining urine-soaked cobblestones and fish & chips grease from the local shop that always seemed to be closed whenever I approached. I was told that this was a famous chippy – it was Robbie Coltrane’s local whenever he was in town. In that case, all kudos to Mister Coltrane for always nailing the 45 minutes a day when the damm place was open.

The bed and breakfast butter lumps seemed in no hurry to melt on my cold, burnt toast. I decided to just start chomping and make the best of it, when I heard the floor creaking from outside. New guests! They must have checked in late the night before. A huge walking manatee with a carefully trimmed white beard and sideburns wheezed in, accompanied by a blonde woman at least thirty years his junior. Notme notme notme, I mentally willed the couple toward the back corner of the room. Of course, Professor Chinbeard grabbed one of the chairs at my table and settled his massive lower quarters on down, leaving his daughter to take the other remaining chair at my table for herself. I made quick eye contact with folks at the other tables – returned expressions reflected a mixture of smirking and sympathy. Damm. Why do I always travel alone?

“Good morning”, boomed the Professor at all of us in the room. Turned out he really was a Professor, although I would have placed him at the head of the Faculty of Bad Scotty Impersonators. He wanted to know where we all hailed from. “We’re from the West Coast!”, he announced. I was slow to realize that he was referring to America, and wondered what the others in the room, mainly Europeans, made of this pair. “Are you happy, my dear Toe!”, he announced, rather than asked. Was he addressing his feet, I wondered, before clueing in with a jolt that Toe was his companion’s name. And a further jolt. She was his wife, not his daughter!

“I’m so happy, Ian darling!” Her voice was a bit too much of a girly squeal for this early hour. “This city has a medieval feel to it, with its Gothic architecture and cobblestone streets.” She grabbed his shoulder and gazed at him adoringly, looking for all the world like an Up With People director at the start of a world tour. “I’m falling in love all over again!”

Achim and Jose at the opposite table glanced at me. Achim bit his lower lip slightly, and I had to pretend to cough to keep from sputtering with laughter. They had us all in stitches the previous morning with their description of the Hollyrood Castle tour. Achim’s Berlin-accented take on the tour guide’s delight in pointing out the deficiencies of the building, general awfulness of the artwork within, and the violent ends most of the early monarchs met was worthy of any travel show. Jose was the quiet one, but he was a hell of a listener. When the Professor waved his arms in the air and declared that this was the land of his birth, I’m positive that both Jose and I heard the word girth. Jose’s first half-note of a high-pitched “HOOOOO” was cut short by a painful kick to the ankle from his partner. How I swallowed that bloody toast, I’ll never know.

Perry and Cindy from Chicago were at the table behind the German guys, and they were great fun in their own right. Two days earlier they had visited the Whisky Museum on the Royal Mile, which involved sitting inside a whisky barrel that was in fact a vehicle on a dark ride, touring the History of Whisky through a series of what may politely be termed economically-designed themed rooms featuring depictions of streams, clumps of peat, nasty-looking Redcoat mannequins and bagpipe-accompanied tartan types. The ride ends at the souvenir shop, naturally. Now, I could see Perry sink slightly into his chair in the hopes that he wouldn’t be brought into Chinbeard’s monologue. “We go to Europe to get away from guys like that”, he told me later. “First, they want to know where you’re from, then they ask you how much your house is worth and where you work, and next thing you know, they’ve got a hold of your Herald Tribune and they’re going on about their stock portfolios. Christ, what an asshole.”

Sorry, Perry. That smirk from thirty seconds’ ago cost you dearly, and I was delighted to introduce the Professor and his artist wife Toeby to my Windy City friends. Cindy loves meeting folks, but I could see Perry mouthing silently I’ll get you for this, Moon. And once Chinbeard heard the word “Chicago”, he was all over them with a long-winded lecture about some recent convention there and the worthiness of the grand city and his wife’s problems with identity theft and all kinds of other claptrap that I was able to shut out as a background burr while I concentrated on my cold, burnt toast with the lumps of still-icy butter. Ian Darling was still at it when I got up, excused myself, and departed merrily to get on with my day.

There really is a lot of talent in Edinburgh, and so much of it comes together each year during the month of August. There’s the International Tattoo up at the Castle, where marching bands from all over the world gather and perform. The Festival hosts stars from opera, the classics, and theatre. And running between the lines, as it were, is my favourite event, The Fringe. Comedy and musical acts – well, every kind of performer imaginable – show up in Scotland, do their thing, and hope for their big break.

I’d been looking forward to today’s show for a long time, and as I settled into my seat at The Courtyard, I was already halfway to laughing out loud. The stars of this show were local kids, still in college, and they called themselves Snorkelco. Five of them would position themselves on-stage, their heads encased within gigantic Aquarium Head Pieces, complete with live goldfish. They all wore snorkels to breathe, and the crowning touch was an underwater microphone for each one. Today’s Performance: Selected Readings from the Works of Sir Walter Scott.

As the lights dimmed, I could already hear giggling around me. It was hard not to join in. It got very much easier, however, very quickly, as I sensed a familiar whiff of body odour and Old Spice. My heart sank; yes, it was Professor Chinbeard and his Toe settling down directly behind me. That squeal again. “Ian! I’m so happy! Sir Sean Finnery, in person!”

What the…?

Then that pompous blowhard: “I must thank that fine man from Chicago for steering us here. Imagine visiting the land of my (oh God, I’m sure he said girth again) and missing out on Sir Sean Finnery as Sir Walter Scott. Oh, Toeby!”

“Oh, Ian!”

Oh, shit.

Perry, you bastard. Of course we all kept up with each other’s Fringe schedules for the week, and a highlight of each evening in the B&B lounge (or morning at breakfast if we were staying out late on those cobblestones) was comparing notes on each show. Perry was well aware of my enthusiasm for Snorkelco, and now sweet revenge was his.
The five spotlights blinked on, with five Aquarium Heads reading from Rob Roy: Far and near, through blubberbubble hill, blubbelly blubble sound of Blobb Bloy’s name ubble blubble blub…

The audience was in tears. Then, as we all paused to inhale (Snorkelco, too), a rumbling voice from among us: “This isn’t Sir Sean Finnery!!”

Oh no, no, no. Now the audience was howling. Obviously this fat boob sitting behind me was some sort of plant.

“There’s been a tragical error!”, he persisted, and now two of the suddenly-confused Snorkelco team had inadvertently ingested water and had hit the floor. Aides from stage right raced in to assist, gesturing for the curtain. Surely this was part of the show. Then a scream pierced my left eardrum. Toeby!

Her husband, enraged at the nonsensical troupe that had pre-empted his beloved Sir Sean, and further stoked with fury at the audience laughter, had hauled off and socked the first face he saw within reach. And whose face might that be, Dear Reader? Why none other than the face of Snorkelco’s Number One Fan, Prince Harry himself, just back from his latest tour in Afghanistan and never more popular than now. Well, old fart or not, you don’t just punch a member of the Royal Family without suffering the consequences. Before the Prince’s bodyguards could grab Chinbeard and drag him to relative safety, Harry stepped in and introduced his attacker to the concept of a Glasgow Kiss. From my seat, by now almost directly underneath the action, I can report that HRH Harry possessed a head-butting technique that would make his Mum (and Grandad Phil, how’s that for a pair?), as well as goats everywhere, proud of him. The Professor’s nose cracked like a walnut, and I was immediately drenched in warm, sticky blood, as well as the brief notion that this might have gone rather well with this morning’s toast. More squealy screams, deep bellows of rage, and my goodness, a third member of the Snorkelco team has hit the floor, this time with the shattering of his Aquarium Helmut.

Goldfish everywhere.

Next year I’m going to Toronto. Nothing ever happens there, so they say.

NEXT: More ravings about beer, this time in Munich!

Sweet, Sweet Chocolate

2009-09-07T22:45:00.012-04:00

This week, you are going to win half a million dollars in the lottery. It's not enough for anyone to care about, so nobody will bother you. Enjoy your winnings!

This week, the Hofbrau Brewery people will open their first Canadian beergarden franchise a ten minute walk from where you live.

This week in Mary Worth, Dr. Jeff Cory will throw Ol' Mare over his knee and give her a damm good spanking.

Ahhh....fantasies. They help make our lives so much more interesting. And some of them even have a hope of coming true.

This week, I'm going to enjoy some incredible, wonderful, TASTY chocolate from Europe. Actually, I enjoyed some of it earlier today, and there's more in store for tomorrow and beyond, thanks to a shopping spree I made earlier this summer in Berlin, Germany to my all-time favourite chocolate store, Fassbender & Rausch. Wow Oh Wow, is the chocolate there ever good.

There it is, at Charlottenstrasse 60, at the corner of Mohrenstrasse (Berlin's Stadtmitte U-Bahn station entrance is directly behind me, so it's easy to get to). This was once "East" Berlin - Checkpoint Charlie is actually a block ahead and just around the corner a bit - and the Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers have been doing their thing for over a century now.

Once inside the shop, you are met by a series of truly remarkable displays of chocolate products, featuring various degrees of cocoa content, from around the world, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and wrappers. It's a delight to spend the first several minutes of a visit just wandering up and down the aisles!
Yes, that's a chocolate Brandenberg Gate by the front door! They also have a chocolate Reichstag, a chocolate Titanic, and an erupting chocolate volcano, among other displays.
This is MY favourite display of the lot. Rows and rows of solid chocolate bars, ranging from silky milk chocolate to very intense and bitter high-cocoa content bars. You can get small, medium, or giant bars, or in stick format if you prefer. Each bar is named for the part of the world where its cocoa is harvested. They also sell variety packs, featuring a little square sample of each brand, allowing you to try each kind at your leisure. Yummy!

Fassbender & Rausch offer all kinds of gift packages, as well as individually wrapped chocolates with all kinds of flavours and fillings. They even have a cafe upstairs where you can enjoy a Hot Chocolate and a suitably sweet dessert!

Here we see Pauline ringing up my order and wondering if she's got enough bags to handle the amount of stuff I'm buying! Pauline lived in America for a time, and is great fun to talk with. Thanks for looking after me! Of course, it's a lot more relaxing shopping here in the summer than at Christmastime, when I imagine the place is very, very hectic.

I've enjoyed chocolate from Belgium, Switzerland, other parts of Germany, Britain (yea, Cadbury World!), France, the Netherlands, Austria and of course the United States (BIG shout-out to See's, another huge fave!), but this is the Mother Ship of Chocolate Wonderfulness for me and a Must-Stop every time I visit Berlin (well, 11 times and counting). If you get to visit Berlin one day, take a half-hour and have a wander into Fassbender & Rausch for a wonderful European, German, Berlin shopping experience. Even if you just buy one bar for the road, take time to breathe in deeply. Ahhh, REAL chocolate.

Fassbender & Rausch
Charlottenstrasse 60, Berlin
www.fassbender-rausch.de

NEXT: Munich Beer Adventures!

U Cerneho Vola, Prague

2009-09-05T15:06:00.006-04:00

U Cerneho Vola
Loretanske Namesti 1
220 513 481

Yikes! I thought I had tastefully concluded my grand tour of Prague pubs, only to realize I had neglected to include one of the very best - the magnificent U Cerneho Vola or "At the Black Ox". Or "Bull" Your choice. I wandered into this beautiful building just after my visit to the Kloster Strahov above Prague Castle, and before my afternoon visit to U Zlateho Tygra.
Yes, they have Pilsner Urquell available here, but I was interested in the Kozel beer. The Black Ox is one of the few Prague pubs that offers Kozel, and a pint was going for about a measly $1.60 a pint. What a deal!

The amber was delicious, and dark-beer friend Ute reported that hers was also very tasty. And I wanted one of those Goat Beer Mats! Happily, that very mat is sitting at this very moment next to my keyboard.

It was another wonderful Czech beer success. I preferred this to the St. Norbert that I had recently consumed just a half block up the hill at the Kloster. I rate it at a very tasty 8.5 on my Yuk/Yummy Scale of Goodness, maybe not quite as fantastic as the Pilsner Urquell I was to find later that afternoon across the river at The Golden Tiger, but the atmosphere, service, and general beer deliciousness made U Cerneho Vola an absolute Must-Return for my next visit to Prague. I could have stayed there for a very happy afternoon. I gather its fame has spread world-wide - we ended up sharing a table with a visitor who lives about 10 kms from me, north of Toronto!

Charming, small, well-kept, and well-supplied with tasty Kozel beer. U Cerneho Vola is everything a thirsty visitor could want in a pub far from home. And that's No Bull!

NEXT: There's more to life than beer. Chocolate, for instance!

U Zlateho Tygra, Prague

2009-09-02T17:56:00.009-04:00

U Zlateho Tygra, Prague
Husova 17
222 221 111
www.uzlatehotygra.cz

I had been in Prague for about 48 hours, and managed to fit in a nice assortment of pub visits along with some quality time exploring a few of the city's major attractions. Of all the major pubs I had on my list to try, U Zlateho Tygra ("At the Golden Tiger") was actually the closest to where I was staying. I put it off towards the end of my visit, however, for several reasons. I was somewhat intimidated by the press clippings - not friendly to outsiders, pretty much reserved for long-term "locals", weird opening hours. Saturday afternoon had arrived, and I still hadn't made the pilgrimage - however, a violent thundershower and being on my own for a couple of hours made the short journey of just a block and a half from my pension seem like a good idea. So off I went!

Once inside, I put my Czech Pub Etiquette to good use. Dobry Den! Je tu volno, procim? Yes! I was in! At the Golden Tiger is larger than U Hrocha and U Cerneho Vola, but smaller than U Medvidku. It's a Pilsner Urquell tankova, where the unfiltered, unpasturised PU arrives not in kegs, but by truck and is hosed right into the premises...right under that massive tap!

This is a pub with a history. It is famous as the "local" for many decades of Czech writer Brohumil Hrabal. Mr. Hrabal has been gone over ten years now, but a shrine is in place above his table, as filmed above. Also hanging for posterity is a photo of President Clinton meeting him during his visit to U Zlateho Tygra as a guest of Czech President Haval.

So what did I think? Well, for starters, Bill had by far the reddest nose of the three of them. Oh, the beer? Well! This is the hands-down BEST Pilsner Urquell I have ever tasted. Better than at U Hrocha or any other pub in Prague. Better than any bottled version I've tasted elsewhere. It was super-fresh, delicious, and with more time and a companion or two I could have spent many happy hours at U Zlateho Tygra enjoying more and more of this fantastic tasting lager. Yes, it's an easy 9 out of 10 on my Yuk/Yummy Scale of Hoppy Happiness. I want to come back to Prague, and this is one of the special spots I want to spend more time at when I do return.

It's a big "Na Zdravi!" from me, from U Zlateho Tygra, at the end of a wonderful first visit to Prague - the first of many, I hope. I hope that you enjoy reading these little unscientific reviews of my favourite beer places in this wonderful city, and that if you haven't already had the chance to come here, YOU will one day make the trip and compile your own list of favourites.

NEXT: Goat at the Ox!

Klasterni Pivovar Strahov, Prague

2009-08-29T22:13:00.010-04:00

Klasterni Pivovar Strahov

Strahovske Nadvori 10

233 353 155

www.klasterni-pivovar.cz

Up on a hill....

Above a Castle...

...sits the Klasterni Strahov, a new brewpub in a very old location. The Monastery at Strahov dates back to 1142, and beer has been brewed on-site for centuries - however, the current Pivovar has been brewing its own St. Norbert lagers since 2001. It's easy to reach by Prague's famous trams, as Line #22 will drop you off just yards from the driveway. Inside the property is, yes, a monastery and chapel, but for me the attraction was this delightful outdoor patio.

I thoroughly enjoyed the St. Norbert Amber Lager, and my friend Ute said that the dark was delicious (always a smaller size, Ute?). An American family was at the table next to us, and Dad was singing the praises of the Special Weizen. The wheats aren't usually a fave of mine, but here goes nothing!

It was delicious! Cool, tasty, VERY fresh!

As it should be, since the copper kettles were sitting about ten feet away from me!

I found the service to be excellent. An extra smile and a couple of attempts at Czech and a compliment or two, and the staff melted like ice cubes. They were a delight to chat with, and looked after us very well. I hadn't noted the Cloister as a Must-Visit while planning my Prague Pubs, but I was very glad to have made the effort to visit. They rate a delightful and friendly 8 out of 10 on my Yuk/Yummy Scale of beery goodness, and they'll definitely be on my return list for my next trip to Prague. Pricier than the older "locals" down in the city, but well worth the journey to the top of the hill.
NEXT: Tiger in your Tankova!

U Medvidku, Prague

2009-08-22T22:22:00.005-04:00

U Medvidku

Na Perstyne 7
224 211 916
www.umedvidku.cz

It's somewhere behind all that scaffolding. It's a beer hall, a restaurant, a brew pub, a small hotel, and a museum / souvenir shop! U Medvidku ("At the Little Bears") is one of Prague's most important suds-related addresses. Been there, drunk the beer, got the ball cap! What more can I say?

Well, how about a look inside, for starters? It's one of the larger "traditional" Prague pubs, and the ground floor features TWO rooms - the above is the one nearest the front door - with plenty of space to settle in and enjoy one of the Czech Republic's most famous, if not controversial, beers.

Yes, it's none other than Budweiser!! But this is NOT your Uncle Sam's Bud. This is Bud Right, the original Budvar, and its lovely taste bears absolutely no resemblence to the American Budweiser with the Clydesdales and the expensive TV commercials. U Medvidku offers a light and dark Budweiser on tap in its main room, plus a series of Budvar specials in another corner of the premises. Both Buds were fresh, delicious, and easily earned a solid 8 out of 10 happy gulps on Mooncattie's Yuk/Yummy scale of lager 'liciousness. All well and good....but these Little Bears have a special surprise waiting for you just up the stairs....

Do I look happy, or what? What?! It's U Medvidku's special own brew, none other than Old Gott! We patrons of the top floor were being supplied with this special darker, and slightly stronger, lager courtesy of a single spigot attached to a rather largish barrel on the other side of a glass barrier. Lots of copper kettles and bits and pieces of old brewing equipment, sadly not photographed by your rather far-too-pleased correspondent. The brewpub section of U Medvidku also offers a VERY strong (over 12%) X-Beer, but I was eager to avoid falling down and injuring myself until the last possible moment. Mission accomplished! Old Gott scores 9 out of 10 for me. What a lovely place this was to visit. Please can I go back?

NEXT: The Cloister Above The Castle

Prvni Pivni Tramway, Prague

2009-08-17T19:46:00.009-04:00

Prvni Pivni Tramway

Na Chadovci 1A

272 765 683

All Aboard for a very special beer experience! My Prague Pub Pilgrimage has shifted into high gear by my second afternoon in the Czech Republic, and now it's time for a little adventure.

I boarded a #11 Tram and rode for twenty minutes or so to the end of the line at Sporilov. Not so scenic out here in the 'burbs, is it? But Lucky Number 11 will deliver you directly to the front door of the Prvni Pivni Tramway, "The First Beer Tramway" pub!

What an amazing and truly unique pub! Part of the interior is laid out like an old-fashioned Prague Tram.

Inside I found a hard-rockin' atmosphere, veering towards a punk/goth soundtrack. They had settled down to U2 by the time I left. The main bar area was covered in all kinds of "stuff", much of it somewhat on the risqué side, and all of it loads of fun. The staff were very friendly, and whenever they felt like it, they rang the authentic old Tram Bell (directly over the server's head). Ordering a second beer seemed to get me the Ring-a-Ding treatment!

The First Beer Tramway differs from most Prague taverns in that it isn't a strictly one-brewery operation. The sign outside indicates that Pilsner Urquell is indeed available here, but Prvni Pivni also prides itself on a "rotating tap" or a visiting draft. This was the Guest Beer when I showed up - a Holba Serak from the eastern part of the country. Very nice and tasty, if a little bitter to my (after)taste. For 29 CZK (approx. $1.75 Canadian) a pint, who am I to complain? I'm not complaining! It's a Pleasant 7 on the Goodness Scale!

Oh my. Oh my. Here's the real deal. On tap that wondrous day was a Primator Premium Dark. Wow! I've never tasted anything quite like it. Very filling, with a hint of coffee. Evan Rail's guide also mentions cola and ginger notes. Do I detect cocoa as well? No matter, it was magnificent. One of the best glasses of beer it has ever been my pleasure to slurp, and easily a 9 out of 10 on my Yuk/Yummy Scale of Goodness, and maybe a 95% overall, but I'll have to return to Prague and visit this lovely bar again for a longer period of time and verify this rating. Suddenly, I felt at home. I must have been smiling a lot by this time, as I kept hearing that darn Trolley Bell! What a great place!

NEXT: Lose your cares At The Little Bears!

U Hrocha, Prague

2009-08-16T14:03:00.006-04:00

U Hrocha
Thunovska 10
257 316 890

U Hrocha (its name means "At the Hippo") can be found on a quiet side street just down the hill from the Prague Castle. It was my second Prague Pub, and my first at what I would call a traditional "local" establishment. At a spot like this, knowing a little Czech Beer Etiquette will go a long way towards enjoying a great Pub experience!

For starters, it's a good idea to get on the staff's good side. Keep in mind that these pubs tend to be very small, with perhaps only five or so tables, and that they all tend to have "Reserved" signs on them. Reserved for locals, that is, and these places would be quite happy to do without any backpackers from Ontario or anywhere else showing up. So....

Greet the server with a cheery "Dobry Den!" ("Good Day!"), and gesture toward an empty table while saying a reverential "Je tu volno?" ("Is this taken?"), adding a submissive "Procim?" ("Please?") for extra brownie points. If the staffer grunts and nods towards a certain table, then CONGRATULATIONS!, you have made contact and you are in. Now to the beer!

U Hrocha, as befits its name, has all kinds of Hippo related brick-a-brack within the premises. The beer, however, is none other than the Czech Republic's world-famous Pilsner Urquell. This ain't your Beer Store PU, though. This is fresh from the source, by means of a quaint little tap on the counter. And at 32 CZK (less than $2 Canadian a pint), it's a cheap ticket to Pilsner Paradise. Here's another bit of Etiquette to keep in mind. The beer will keep a-comin' unless you make some noises, so when you have arrived at what you judge to be your Final Beer of the session, tell your server upon receipt "Zaplatim, procim" ("I will pay, please"), and he or she will tally up the ticks on your beer tab and present you with your total, to be paid whenever you are next able to secure their attention. Do not be in any hurry! Conclude the visit with a sincere "Dekuji" ("Thank you" - try dee-KOO-yee and you'll be close), and you'll be, almost, ready for your next pub!

As much as I enjoyed U Hrocha, I would have to say that I didn't give it quite the same Yuk/Yummy rating as Ferdinanda. The Pilsner Urquell was delicious, but I actually found tastier PU at a future location. This did seem a bit extra-bitter in the aftertaste, although I was at some point using the beer to help swallow the really strong Beer Cheese I had ordered! A 7.5 out of 10 is my way of saying that I enjoyed this pub and would be delighted to return, but it wasn't the Best of Prague.

NEXT: Glug Glug Glug Went the Trolley!

Ferdinanda

2009-08-16T09:24:00.009-04:00

Ferdinanda, Prague

Opletalova and Politickych

222 244 302 http://www.ferdinanda.cz/

This was my first pub in Prague, and it's a good one! Where else will you be offered "1 small bear" with your entree? Looking back, it seemed cleaner and more spacious than most of the traditional Prague pubs I visited. The staff was friendly, the food was delicious (great caesar salad, nice fries, tasty fried bread with cheese), and the lager was excellent.

Of course I managed to lose all my details of how much everything cost, the various % of alcohol, etc. But this photo shows that a "big" beer comes in a 0.4 liter glass, perhaps a tad short of a full pint. The prices in Prague were very reasonable, so no complaints there, and this was delicious!

My friend Ute, who generally prefers the darker beer, reported that hers tasted very nice indeed. It was a great start to our Prague pub-crawl, and I can highly recommend "Ferdinanda". Ferdinand beer, by the way, comes from Benesov, home town of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose nasty end in Sarajevo in 1914 led to the outbreak of World War I. It gets a big 8 out of 10 on my Yuk/Yummy Beer Scale!

NEXT: A Happening At The Hippo!

It's August!!

2009-08-05T20:04:00.011-04:00

Crumbs! It's been ages since I have written anything here. So busy...and when I'm not, it's difficult to get motivated to think up something to type. Thanks, however, to my buddy over at Project Fleece, I'm finally getting around to catching up on this year's events.

Let's see...

In February, I fell down. Slipped on an icy patch of sidewalk. Fractured a knee.

In July, I fell down. Tripped over a boulder. Banged up my ribs, bloodied my arm.

Aside from that, it's been all great. I visited Chicago in early May, traveled to Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic in June/July, and tomorrow I fly off to Chicago for a long weekend.

If you have travel plans that involve Munich and/or Prague, and you have a hankering to visit a beergarden or pub, allow me to introduce you to two wonderful Guides that helped me make a great holiday even greater.

This is the second year running that I've made The Beer Drinker's Guide To Munich an essential part of my plans when visiting this sudsy city. Earlier entries have touched on my passion for Munich and its wonderful selection of beers and outdoor facilities in which to relax and drink them. Future submissions will outline my trips to old favourites, as well as describe a couple of adventures to new, and highly recommended, beergardens!

I visited Prague for the very first time in early July. I only had three nights to explore this historic treasure of a town, and especially wanted to make the most of the city's wonderful pubs. Fortunately, a new Guide, The Good Beer Guide to Prague, was there to help me find the best of the best. Yes, I will dish the dirt on my fave pubs in Prague, where a number of drinking establishments scored very high indeed on Mooncattie's unpatented Yuck/Yummy Scale of Goodness. Stay Tuned!

I shall close with a photographic teaser of what's to come. What a lovely holiday! Except for the Schneider Weisse, of course. Cheers!

Once you've had a Schneider Weisse, the rest of your holiday is bound to feature better beer!

A night of blues music, and a Staropramen. Oh well, at least the blues music was great!

Ah, now that's more like it! A nice stein of Spaten Helles.

NEXT! Mooncattie's first Prague Pub! Where will it be? Can you say "Archduke"?

All Aboard!

2009-04-26T15:31:00.008-04:00

Yikes! We're a third of the way into 2009 and I haven't offered up a single entry yet! I'll try to make up for it, starting with this little ramble about one of my life's passions.

Trains. I love trains! I love train travel. Much more than a means to a destination for me, train travel is often, for me, part of the destination itself. When I’m on holidays, I look forward to making an interesting train journey part of my day. Fortunately, I’ve been able to enjoy some super trips over the years. Here are a few of my favourites.

This quick glimpse of one of Germany’s crack ICE trains rushing through Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz station offers a hint of what’s in store if you’re lucky enough to be on board. The Inter-City Expresses connect many of Germany’s cities at speeds that top 200 Km/Hr. If you’re really lucky, you can score a seat in a front car and enjoy the scenery from the driver’s point of view.

The British rail system has struggled to keep up with the rapid high-speed improvements on the European continent. Well, they simply haven’t for the most part, although you can now zip from St. Pancras in London to Brussels or Paris at 300 Km/Hr aboard the Eurostar. The main lines in Britain, however, connect cities and towns at a somewhat more leisurely pace. Travel in England has its compensations, though – if you travel First Class in the morning, such as on board this shuttle from Birmingham to London Euston, you can enjoy the so-called Great British Breakfast for free. And you know the tea has to be good!

I'm returning to Europe in June 2009 for 3 weeks of trains, beer, walking and good times. My holidays begin with Alpine adventures in Mürren, Switzerland before taking the ICE to Berlin. And a new destination: Prague! I'm looking forward to posting pictures from these two remarkable European capitals. NEXT: More STUFF from Mooncattie!

Hot Dogs in the Windy City

2008-11-02T15:15:00.014-05:00

Chicago is famous for its hot dogs. Unlike Toronto, there are perhaps dozens of establishments in the Chicago area where the humble wiener is the #1 item on the menu. This year, I decided to do a bit of Tuber Research and track down some of the better-known hot dog spots.

Well, first up was Hot Doug's at the corner of N. California and Roscoe.

Yikes! I arrived at 10:45 am to find a lineup around the corner and down the street. I got in line, didn't move during a ten-minute wait, and decided that was enough time to spend on a hot dog, no matter how highly-rated it is. And it is, from what I've read. Hot Doug's offers a variety of sausages, including "duck-fat fried french fries" on Fridays and Saturdays. Well, lets see if I get lucky at a spot up the road a bit.

Next stop: Chubby Wieners on North Western at Leland.

Yikes again! Chubby's couldn't be more conveniently located, right under the Western stop on the Brown Line, but here we are, after 11am on a Saturday, and it's closed! I'm not doing so well, am I? I do have another back-up location to try, though.

It's on to U Lucky Dawg, further up N. Western, north of Pratt Avenue.

Bingo! It's Open, we have a nice Iconic Sign praising Vienna Beef products, and I'm hungry. I ordered a hot dog and a polish sausage. I preferred the latter, although they were both good. My dogs come with mustard, onions and sport peppers (something I've only seen in Chicago, they're these little green things of variable texture and heat). One sport pepper exploded over my t-shirt - this is a fine spot for a great dog. I did feel lucky!

So lucky, that I was ready to try one more location in Chicago's north side.

It's back down the street and around the corner to Wolfy's on W. Peterson at Fairfield.

Open...check! Iconic sign out front...check! Vienna beef served here...check! A generous parking lot, and time for a Char-Polish all-beef sausage. Yum! By this time, I had learned to add celery salt to the ingredients, although I want no part of the traditional "Chicago dog" makeup of neon green relish, slice of dill, and tomato slice. And one thing about hot dogs in Chicago. No. Ketchup. Ever. Ever! Fine by me, I don't like ketchup. My sport pepper on this dog was kind of wrinkled, not juicy at all, and not particularly spicy. But the sausage itself was delicious and perhaps edges out U Lucky Dawg by a nosehair. Well, I'd like to return to both spots, maybe in reverse order, to try 'em both one more time.

Another day, another visit, another dog. Let's hit the south side for a couple of Maxwell Street legends. First, we have the Express Grill.

The Express Grill is open 24/7, and since its move from Maxwell Street (a block over, now dominated by buildings owned by the University of Illinois), it sits on Union Street, eye to eye with the Dan Ryan Expressway, and next door to its great competitor, Original Jim's. The Express Grill was opened and operated by family members that broke away from Jim. The building features a counter, built along the outside wall (there is no indoor dining) for folks to eat standing up. You can get a Polish sausage...or a Polish BEEF sausage for ten cents' extra. I guess that latter offers less snout? Well, you can't knock the hours, and there certainly wasn't a lineup to worry about...but you can walk for thirty seconds and find a better sausage over at...

...none other than Jim's Original Maxwell St. Polish! Lots of photos showing the old location from back in the day, another counter helpfully provided along the outside wall for stand-up diners, and similar prices and menu concept to the Express next door. I chomped into one of the beef polish sausages. I found it a bit tastier than the Express, until I bit into one of the atomic-strength sport peppers. Wow! By far the hottest pepper I've ever tasted in a sausage. I think that's what makes Jim's Original so memorable - well that, and having an expressway less than 50 feet away across the street. Jim's is also open all day, every day. Are you listening, Hot Doug?

There's time for one more dog, so I thought I'd make it a double.

I've landed west of O'Hare Airport to Gene & Jude's Red Hots on Des Plaines River Road near Grand. You can see that they offer "double" dogs, and toss a fistful of tasty fries over the finished product. Ahh...that's a nice hot dog!

This is just a small sampling of the many, many hot dog stands you can find in Chicago. Trying them out is lots of fun. Best wishes to you for your next visit, and for your stomach's health!

UPDATE: "U LUCKY DAWG" ain't so lucky anymore....IT'S CLOSED!!!

NEXT: Trains!

Raise Your Glasses!!

2008-10-17T22:57:00.008-04:00

It's getting into late October as I write this - months after my wonderful European holiday - but a late-night stein of Hofbrau Oktoberfest beer (thank you, Binny's of Chicago!) has me in the mood to wax nostalgic on a wonderful August visit to Munich, Germany. I've never been there for their Oktoberfest festivities (actually held late-September to early-October), but the beergardens of this lovely city are usually open and ready for customers throughout the year. When the sun is shining, there is usually beer somewhere to be enjoyed!

So....the year 2008 saw me visiting Munich TWICE! I took advantage and visited no less than 8 of the city's famous beergardens. Here's is a rundown of some of my favourites:

Any list of Munich's best spots for delicious beer must include a place run by the fine folks at the Augustiner brewery. The Augustiner Keller, just west of Munich's main railway station or Hauptbanhof, offers a magnificent beergarden as well as an indoor beerhall for when the weather looks less than kindly upon the visitor. The Helles, or lager, is wonderful. The Edelstoff is fantastic. Locals will tell you this is THE best place in Munich for a liter of beer.

So...where do the TOURISTS go?? Well, I've waxed on about the Hofbrauhaus in an earlier post, but for Hofbrau fans there is a special treat in store if you visit Munich's Englischer Garten. It's the Chinescher Turm (or Chinese Tower) beergarden. Both locals and out of towners love to visit this special spot in the middle of the park. A Bavarian brass band often appears at the Tower to offer local drinking songs on weekends. And the beer...well, sublime is a good word! And the food isn't bad either!

Ahhh...Spaten! When it's good, it's REALLY great. I visited one highly-rated beergarden in Munich's southern suburbs in August, and found the local Spaten Helles to be...well, Stale! Very unusual for such a wonderful product. But I remember happier times and better Spatens, such as this May 2008 visit to the Hirschau beergarden, in the northern section of the Englischer Garten. In addition to the beer, you can enjoy ribs, chicken, or (in my case) a delicious pretzel with your choice of mustard. Weekends at the Hirschau feature some fine jazz music if it's sunny outside. It's a bit of a trek from the city centre, but well worth the Metro ride and walk, and a great way of starting a southbound Beer Walk in the Englischer Garten. After hoisting a liter at the Hirschau, perhaps you'll have time to wander south, on a convenient pedestrian bridge across a busy road, to.....

....the SEEHAUS, one of Munich's truly beloved beergardens. It's run by the folks from Paulaner and is located along the shore of a beautiful little lake. You can rent a boat there (not while drinking!), watch the ducks, or just settle into a nice glass of Paulaner's fine Helles and do some serious people-watching. Adjacent to the Seehaus is a fancy indoor restaurant, but if the weather permits then outdoors by the lake is the place to be.

There are many other fine places in Munich to relax over a Maß (that should be "Mass" or a liter of beer). If you're stuck downtown, then I recommend the Viktualienmarkt beergarden, which has the added attraction of "rotating" its beer offerings. If you're lucky (as I was) and arrived on a day when Augustiner was being served....well, RAISE YOUR GLASSES!!

NEXT: I BLOGS FOR HOT DOGS!

Birth Of A River

2008-09-13T12:25:00.005-04:00

If you were to simply show up in the village of Mürren, Switzerland and hang out for a few days, you would pretty much be guaranteed a wonderful visit regardless of the weather. It's a postcard-perfect Swiss Alps experience, perched on the top of an impressive massif overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley, and framed in the background with the Jungfrau mountain range. The village itself is very small, with a permanent population of perhaps 300. I've enjoyed some wonderful meals, ranging from the Asian delights of Tham's Chinese Snacks, to Thai Curry Soup, the best lamb I've ever tasted, a Gorgonzola Cheeseburger, röstis galore, and fresh, C O L D milk. The local beer is Rugenbrau, brewed just down the hill outside Interlaken. Feldschlossen is another regional favourite. I wouldn't make a detour for the suds in this area, to be honest, but since my next destination was to be Munich, Germany, I wasn't too worried about the quality of the local brew. Especially when the water, from a pipe straight out of the ground, was so good!

There's much more to Mürren for the summer visitor than the view and the food. It's a natural launching pad for a series of spectacular hikes and gentle walks that will take the lucky traveller to some truly special spots. One of them is a meadow in a dead-end valley called Kilchbalm, which requires a fairly steady march of perhaps an hour or 90 minutes to access. Once there, however, you're in for a treat. A glacier, plus a series of waterfalls, gives birth to a river that eventually roars its way into the Lauterbrunnen valley. Here is a tiny video clip of the area, featuring sounds from the Swiss Alps!

To sum up, I highly recommend a visit to Mürren for anyone who wants to experience the Swiss Alps without paying St. Moritz prices.

NEXT: Maßes in München!

The Hills Are Alive...

2008-09-12T18:36:00.005-04:00

...with the sound of Cowbells!

It's been a month now since I returned from Europe, and I'm slowly getting around to arranging and displaying the images from my adventures overseas. Nine days in Mürren, Switzerland delivered a powerful sense of peace and calmness. The sound of cowbells could be heard for miles, along with waterfalls from miles away across the Lauterbrunnen valley. The air was fresh enough to practically drink, and the water itself? Wow! This spot, just across from my bed & breakfast, had the best tap in town.

NEXT: Sounds from the Alps!

Mürren: A Swiss Slice of Paradise

2008-07-26T18:18:00.007-04:00

My first visit to Mürren, Switzerland was in 2002. I was keen to enjoy some authentic Alpine scenery, and had read about this little village that was perched high atop a cliff in the Jungrau Region of Switzerland's Berner Oberland canton. Well...I fell in love with the place. I was back in 2003, and again in 2004 and again...

Now, in late July of 2008, I'm preparing to return to what has become something of a second home. I keep in touch with a few of the residents of Mürren via e-mail during the winter months (er, September to May!), anticipating a happy reunion with this beautiful hamlet. This year's trip is the latest visit for me in the calendar year - I arrive in Mürren on July 31 and stay until August 9th. I'm looking forward to renewing friendships with Denise the B&B manager, Tham and Ruth at the restaurant, Barbara at the train station, and Jeannette, the erstwhile tour guide. Then there are folks at the various dairies, shops and other parts of the village to say Hi to once again. Cablecars to ride. Cats to pat. Paths to walk. Water to drink. Future entries in this blog will focus on some of the highlights of my visit to Switzerland, plus my return to the beergardens of Munich.
NEXT: More from Mürren from Mooncattie, the Happy Wanderer!

rrrrrAISE Your Glasses!!

2008-07-12T22:56:00.009-04:00

Ready for a taste of summertime? Ahhh...sweet, sweet beer! The liquid that sets us apart and above all those other lifeforms in the galaxy. You can keep your ray guns, Green Guts -- we've got beer here.

Yes, Mooncattie, but beer can be found practically everywhere on this planet! How can we tell the good from the bleh?

Fortunately, thanks to the advent of internet search engines, it's easier than ever to experience a satisfying Beergasm. All you have to do is look, and experiment. And if you are especially fond of low-carb Lite beer, you're in luck. There's plenty of it out there!

For me, the hunt for the elusive B-Spot ended on a steamy May afternoon in Bavaria, Germany in 2000, long before I had access to those handy internet search engines. In short, I got lucky. In Munich. At the Augustiner Keller beergarden. A lifetime of wincing back preservative-laden beer product was washed away by a liter of fresh Augustiner Edelstoff, and the knowledge that there were at least six breweries in Munich alone that had been pouring out this sort of high-quality stuff from barrels for centuries - in the case of Augustiner, since 1328!! Although the No. 17 Tram stop outside the beergarden is a relatively recent addition.

It was a revelation to find this terrific beergarden, and further delights awaited over subsequent visits to Munich with the discovery of more wonderful places to relax with a brew or two. If by now you are wondering why you haven't yet booked a holiday to Germany, allow me to point you towards a great website at http://www.beerdrinkersguide.com/ for further incentives. You can even order their book online, which contains coupons for free beer. Free. Beer.

I shall close out this entry with a few images from my merry memories of Beers Past. First, here's a photo of Professor Beer straining to smile as he hoists a liter of Hofbräu (another one of the Munich Big Six), NOT in Munich, but at Resi's Bierstube on West Irving Park Rd. in Chicago. Resi's boasts lots and lots of wonderful imports on tap and in the bottle, and they have a super little beergarden (well, tiny backyard to be fair). In the foreground stands two weissbiers (wheat beers), a Franziskaner (owned by Spaten, yet another of the Big Six...OK OK, the others are Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr and Löwenbräu, and technically Spaten and Löwenbräu sort of own each other, so it's really only a Big Five, and on that note I'll shut up about this Big Six stuff) and a Weihenstephan (who have allegedly been in business nearly three centuries before Augustiner).

Still with me in Chicago? Then let's head around the corner from Resi's and up North Lincoln Ave. for a couple of blocks to the Glunz Bavarian Haus.

The Glunz Bavarian Haus lives up to their name by offering delicious Spaten and Hofbräu on tap, along with a cool oompah band that will encourage you to "RAISE your glasses!" to the Ein Prosit anthem. One noteworthy difference to the beergarden experience in Chicago is that you aren't obligated to order an entire liter of suds - especially worth remembering if you are anywhere near a steering wheel. There's no problem in settling for a Half. Meanwhile, in Munich....er, best buy a transit day pass before your Mass!

Finally, let's end our appreciation of Munich beer at the Hofbräuhaus! Yes, I know, it's full of kids from America having their first beer far away from Mom's watchful eyes, and there are Japanese tourists lining up to photograph the lederhosen guys in the band before rushing out to grab the tour coach. Oh, what a cynic I am. However, it's still a Can't Miss for any visitor to Munich, you're guaranteed a few laughs to go with the Helles and Pretzel, and I'm sure more than a few locals turn up there to take in the atmosphere while hoping like hell that nobody they know recognizes them there. Actually, from what I can tell in the first few seconds of this video clip, I do believe I've crashed a Hen-Party....Ein, Swei, Drei, g'suffa!

NEXT: The Paradise that is Mürren!

Yikes! July already!

2008-07-05T21:56:00.003-04:00

First off, a belated Happy Fourth to my American friends! Our own national holiday, Canada Day, was gloriously sunny and hot, and we finally saw a break from the June weather of thundershower after shower. I'm just about ready to get out there and start some summer walking without having to bring along an unbrella.

This entry continues the theme of Great Meals in America with a salute to the wonderful Lou Malnati's pizza empire of Chicago. The Windy City is famous for its deep-dish style of pizza, first presented there by Pizzaria Uno and imitated but rarely improved upon by many others since. I gather that Mr. Malnati was associated with Uno's before starting up his own restaurant, and after visiting the downtown location for the first time in 2002 I was well and truly converted. It's now a must-chow for me each time I visit Chicago. Thick, cheesy, and filled with wonderful ingredients, this just may be getting stuffed at its best! Here is the arrival of a Medium pizza at the Lou Malnati's Schaumburg, IL location in 2007. Yes, life is good! NEXT: Bavarian suds from Munich and...Chicago?

Chicken Wings - Instant Replay

2008-07-04T19:48:00.004-04:00

Not every post is going to be about chicken wings from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. But it's as good a start as I can think of for a blog that is supposed to be about happy things, and a double-order of Hot Wings at the Anchor, with extra blue-cheese dressing on the side, rates fairly high for me on the Happy Meter. Here's a quick clip of some wings showing up at my table sometime last year. I have to make plans to return sometime soon! NEXT: The joys of Lou Malnati's Pizza!

My First Wing

2008-06-29T20:16:00.000-04:00

Deep-fat fried to perfection, lovingly laced with hot sauce, pleasingly plopped in a vat of high-cal blue cheese dressing...Welcome to the first entry of an attempt at happy writing, featuring Mooncattie. That's me!

I'm aiming to put together a little diary filled with photos and comments about people, places, and activities with an accent on the positive. If you've nothing better to do (and I mean really nothing, and you have my sympathies), then come along and watch me GETTING STUFFED with good food and drink, the happy company of pleasant folk, and scenes from the wonderful travels that I've been fortunate to make over the years.

FEEDING TIME!